Flatware package



2 Sheets-Sheet ll.

Sept. 22, 1953 T. W. FOSTER FLATWARE- PACKAGE Filed May 2l, 1951 Sept. 22, 1953 T, W, FOSTER 2,552,92l

. FLATWRE PACKAGE Filed May 2l, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patentecl Sept. 2 2, 19.53

FLATWARE PACKAGE Thomas W. Foster, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Container Corporation of America, Chicago,.Ill.,V a

corporation of Delaware Application May 21, 1951', Serial No. 227,461

4Clain1s.v (Cl. 20G- 4519) The present invention relates in general to a paperboard locking tray construction for flatware and like articles, and more particularly to a locking insert of paperboard for securing flatware or the like in such a tray against disarrangement.

The illustrative embodiment of the invention disclosed herein comprises an article-supporting insert adapted to be disposed in a hollow-walled tray. This insert is'in the form of a paperboard sheet overlying the tray bottom and having an intermediate support portion bent to extend upwardly along the center of the tray, and an edge portion bent to provide a ledge parallel to the support portion and extending along a wall f the tray. The bent support portion has at each end a plurality oi spaced slits extending across its crest and downwardly toward the tray bottom, and a plurality of slots, generally similar to the slits but appreciably wider, spaced `along its length between the groups of slits. Each of the slits is adapted to receive with a tight frictional grip the blade of a knife or similar article, while the slots are adapted to receive theshanks of handles of other atricles of flatware, such `as, forks and spoons. Such articles may be nested or stacked in the usual manner. To secure the articles in the slots, there is provided a locking insert in the form of a` sheet or strip of. paperboard corresponding substantially to the bent support portion indimensions so; that it may be similarly bent and disposed thereover in nested relation. At each* end, a central part of the strip is out away to provide retaining projections which extend under the knife blades held in the slits. Notches located to correspond to the slots of'thebent support portion extend inwardly from the strip edges, each notch in one edge .being in aligned and opposed relation to a notch in the opposite edge. These notches are of such length that theirinner or closed ends are spaced above the ends of the slots in the support portion when the locking insert is disposed thereover, closing the upper or central portions of those slots, and'thus locking the articles in place. A suitable cover'may be provided to telescope over the tray, resting on the side walls, the crest of the lockingI insert, and the backs of the knives.

The invention provides a simpleI easily assembled locking tray construction the several parts of which may be formed, shipped, and stored in flat space-saving condition and quickly setup for use. In assembling the parts,A the tray walls are folded and secured `in their hollow form and the supporting insert is folded to provide the bent support portion and ledge and disposed-inthe tray. Thearticles are then disposed in the slots of the support portion and the locking insert bent and pushed down thereover in the securing relation described. The knives are then put in place, the blades being pushed down into the slits in the support portion and over the retaining projections of the locking insert. The cover is set up and slipped over the tray, andthe resulting package may then be placed either alone or with others in asuitable shipping container or the like.

it is an object of the invention to provide aV simple and effective lockingtray constructionfor flatware and the like. It is another object to provide a flatware tray or the like'with effective yet simple and readily assembled locking means for articles packed therein. A further object is the provision of a simple, easily applied locking insert for a atware tray or the'like to prevent displacement of articles packed'ptherein. Still another object is theV provision of an article locking insert for a flatware tray or the like which maybe applied by merely pushing the insert downwardly over the articles to be secured and a support for the articles. It is a further object of the invention to provide article locking means for a flatware tray or the like adapted to extend overl the articles to be held in place and under otherwise securedarticles'to be retained in position thereby.

Other and further` objects, advantages,V and features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from' the following de scription, taken with the accompanying draw ings, in which:

Fig, 1 is a plan of a tray for flatware or the like showing the locking insert in position;

Fig. 2 isV an enlarged vertical sectional view` taken substantially along the line 2`2 of Fig. 1 Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentaryV sectional View taken substantially along thevline 3-3-of Fig. l;

Fig. 4l is a fragmentary sectionalview taken sub-- 3 forni in Fig. 5, is disposed on the tray bottom II to hold flatware or other articles in desired `arrangement in the tray. The insert I8 comprises a substantially rectangular sheet of paperboard or like material of a length corresponding to the distance between the inner portions I of the end walls I3, having parallel longitudinal fold lines I9, 23, 2l, 22, `and 23 to define a pair of spaced bottom panels 24 and 25 connected by a support panel 26, and ledge-forming panels 21, 28, and 29. The bottom panel 24 is dened between one edge of the sheet and the line I9, the support panel 26 between the lines I9 and 28, the bottom panel 25 between the lines 28 land 2|, the panel 21 between lines 2I and 22, the panel 28 between lines 22 and 23, and the panel 29 between the line 23 and the opposite edge of the sheet. Y The support.

panel 28 has a central fold line 30 extending longitudinally thereof, a plurality of spaced slits 3I adjacent each end extending transversely .across the line 38, land a plurality of spaced slots 32 located between the groups of slits and simi- 'larly extending transversely across the line 33.

,Strips 33 are provided by pairs of slits 34 extend- :ing transversely of the ledge panel 28 and into panels 21 and 29, each of the strips being aligned with one of the slits 3| and having a width corresponding to the thickness of a knife handle or the like to be disposed in the tray. The widths of the panels 21 and 29 are less than the height of the tray walls, although the panel 29 is preferably somewhat wider than the panel 21. Each of the panels 24 and 25 has end extensions or projections 35.

The article-supporting insert I8 is folded on the several fold lines to the shape or cross section best shown in Fig. 2, and disposed in the tray I with the bottom panels 24 and 25 lying on the tray bottom II, somewhat spaced from each other, and with their projections 35 disposed under the inner portions I5 of the end walls I3, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The support panel 26- is folded on line 30 to inverted V shape with its two halves extending upwardly at an angle from the panels 24 and 25 to the ridge or crest def-ined by the fold line 3D, the slits 3| `and slots 32 of course extending downwardly from the crest in each half or side of the folded support portion thus provided by the panel 26. The height of the support portion is substantially the same as that of the walls I2 and I3. The ledge panel 28 extends along one of the side walls I2, supported above the tray bottom by the vertically disposed panels 21 and 29, and sloping inwardly and downwardly from the side wall. The strips 33 are displaceable downwardly out of the plane of the panel 28 of the ledge thus provided. The upper part of the inner portion I5 of the side wall adjacent the ledge is formed with a plurality of displaceable tongues 36 (see Fig. 2) each in alignment with one of the displaceable strips 33.

A plurality of nested or stacked articles, such as spoons S or forks F, is disposed in each of the slots 32, which are of proper width to receive the Shanks of the article handles. The ends of the handles may extend over the ledge. A plurality of knives K are also disposed in the tray, the handle of each knife being pushed against one of the tongues 36 and the corresponding strip 33 to displace the same and be frictionally held by the edges of the resulting slots, with its end preferably abutting the outer portion I4 of the wall I2. The blade of the knife is inserted in the aligned slit 3l of the folded support portion, in which it is securely held by friction. The parts are so proportioned that the top edges, or backs, of the knives are substantially leve1 with the top of the tray walls, the handles engaging the top portions I8.

A locking insert 38 is provided to hold the yarticles in the slots 32. This insert is shown in its flat or blank form in Fig. 6, comprising a sheet or strip of paperboard substantially corresponding in length and width to the panel 25 of the insert I8. At each end, the central portion of the strip is' cut away to leave marginal portions along op.-

. posite side edges to serve as retaining projection fingers 39 extending longitudinally of the insert 38. Notches i3 are provided extending inwardly from the longitudinal edges of the insert, spaced to correspond to the slots 32 of the panel 26, each notch in one vedge of the insert 38 being aligned with an oppositely extending notch in the oppositel edge, the inner ends of opposed notches of course being spaced from each other. A central foldy line 4I extends longitudinally of the insert between the inner ends of the opposed notches. The retaining projections 3S, it will be noted, may be said to be offset outwardly of the inner ends of the notches, although the depth of each notch may vary.

To apply the insert 38, it is partially folded into V-conguration in cross section on the line 4I and pushed down in nested relation over the folded support portion of the insert I8, and over the articles in the slots 32 thereof, before the 'knives K have been disposed in the tray. The edges of the notches 43 engage the article handles and their inner ends engage over the handles of the topmost articles, closing the upper or central portions of the slots 32 and locking the articles therein, holding the stacked articles on the bottom and preventing upward movement thereof out of the slots 32. The depths of the notches 40 are such that their inner ends are spaced above the closed or lower ends of the slots 32, and define therewith apertures through which the article handles extend. The locking relation will be evident from Figs. 1, 3, 'and 4. The projections 33, like the main portion of the insert 38, lie against the support portion, and extend below the ends of the slits 3l. The length of the projections is somewhatY greater than the distance of the innermost slits 3l from the ends of the panel 25, and their width is substantially the same as the distance between fold lines I9 and 28 and the adjacent ends of the slits. With the insert 38 disposed over the support portion and the articles held thereby, the knives are inserted as previously described,- so that the lower or cutting edges of the blades engage against the upper edges of the retaining projections 33. The knives thus hold the locking insert against moving upwardly off the support portion. Because the blades are very securely held in the slits 3l and also because the handles are well secured against any substantial-movement, the knives anchor the insert 33 against all but the most severe thrusts of the locked articles. Movement of the articles against the locking insert ordinarily results from jolts sustained by the tray in shipment or other handling. The retaining arrangement is clearly shown in Figs. 1 to 3. A cover 43, shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, may be telescoped over the tray, and because the backs of the knives as well asfthe crest of the locking insert 38 lie substantially in the plane of the top portions I6 of the tray walls, the main panel of the cover will bear on the knives and crest to assist in preventing displacement, of the insert.

For reasons of economy, a light stock is preferably used for the inserts i8 and 38, and in some cases the support portion might not be sufficiently strong to support the articles properly under all conditions of use. A reinforcing member t5 for the support portion may therefore be provided. As shown in its blank form in Fig. 7, the reinforcing member 45 is a strip of paperboard of the same length as the panel 26 and of slightly less Width. At its ends, central portions between the side edges are cut away to provide projections 46 similar to the projections I3E! of the locking insert 38. Slots 41 are formed in the member 45 between the cutaway portions, corresponding in size and location to the slots 32 of the support portion. A fold line 48 divides the member 45 longitudinally. The reinforcing member is folded on the line 48 and disposed under the folded support portion in nested relation therewith, the slots 41 substantially coinciding with the slots 32. The position of the member 45 is clearly shown by Figs. 2 to 4. The reinforcement provides a double thickness of material and gives the desired rigidity to the support portion. The end projections 46 extend under the blades of the knives in the slits 3|, and abut the inner portions of the end walls. The reinforcing member is of course held against upward movement by the support portion itself, so that the projections 46 serve mainly to position the member 45 and not to secure it, and may be omitted if desired. These projections, however, facilitate assembly of the parts because they prevent longitudinal shifting of the member 45 relative to the support portion.

It will be seen that the invention provides a simple yet very effective means for securing the articles in the tray requiring no appreciable departure from standard packing procedure. The invention does not necessitate lifting and reinsertion of articles and article-supporting means in order to apply the locking means, or other manipulation of the parts or articles to secure the locking means, and thus saves time and possible marring of the tray or articles.

The present invention is not limited to use with fiatware and the illustrative embodiment may be varied and adapted for use with other articles without departure from the principle disclosed, and may also be varied in details when employed with flatware.

Since many changes and variations of the disclosed embodiment of the invention may be made without departing from the scope of the inventive concept, it is not intended to limit the invention otherwise than as required by the appended claims, with due regard to the spirit as Well as the literal wording thereof.

I claim: l

'1. The combination with a filled paperboard flatware-holding tray assembly including a flat bottom part and an elongated raised saddle part having outwardly and downwardly diverging sides and disposed medially of said bottom part, there being a transverse slot formed in said saddle part and having disposed therein the handle portions of a plurality of articles such as forks, spoons or the like, there also being a transverse slit formed in said saddle part remote from the slot and having disposed therein a knife blade 'in frictional engagement with the Walls of the slit, of a locking element for retaining said articles within the slot, said element comprising an elongated strip of paperboard material partially folded along a longitudinal center line and overlying the saddle part, said strip having diverging side walls overlying the side faces of the saddle part, there being a pair of aligned notches in said side walls in registry with the slot in said saddle part and straddling the handle portions of the articles, the intervening portion of the strip between the inner ends of the notches overlying the hump portion of the saddle part and closing the slot in the saddle part, and means on said strip and underlying said knife blade in engagement with the latter for holding said strip in article-holding position on the saddle part.

2. The combination with a filled paperboard flatware-holding tray assembly including a flat bottom part and an elongated raised saddle part disposed medially of said bottom part and having inclined sides, there being a plurality of spaced transversely extending slots formed through said saddle part and having disposed therein the handles of a plurality of articles of flatware, there being a plurality of spaced transversely extending slits formed through said saddle part and having disposed therein respective knife blades, of an elongated paperboard locking strip overlying said saddle part and having inclined side walls overlying the sides of the saddle part, there being a series of spaced pairs of aligned notches in said side walls in registry with said slots and each pair thereof straddling the handle portions of articles disposed in one of said notches, the medial regions of said strip in the vicinity of each slit being relieved of paperboard material to provide a part underlying a knife blade disposed in the slit.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which the several slits formed in the saddle part are arranged in spaced relation and are isolated H from the slots provided in the saddle part by being positioned adjacent one end of the latter and in which the relieved portions provide a continuous part underlying all of the knife blades disposed in said slits.

4. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which the several slits in the saddle part are arranged in spaced relation on one side of the slots and in which the relieved portions provide two continuous parts underlying all of the knife blades disposed in said slits on opposite sides of the saddle part respectively.

THOMAS W. FOSTER.

References Cited in the ille of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 615,702 Hills Dec. 13, 1898 1,201,047 Hollingshead Oct. 10, 1916 1,803,028 Menten Apr. 2.8, 1931 2,054,355 Anderson Sept. 15, 1936 2,511,542 Rau June '13. 1950 

